FSU IS EXPECTED TO GRADUATE

TALLAHASSEE -- The words Florida State offensive lineman Brett Williams heard on New Year's Day felt like a slap in the face.

As the offensive lineman walked toward the line of scrimmage during the Gator Bowl, a Virginia Tech cornerback uttered a phrase that best summed up the Seminoles' four-loss regular season in 2001.

"They sure don't make you guys like they used to."

Ouch.

"Last year kind of hurt bad, just hurt our pride and everything," Williams said. "We kind of feel like we let the tradition down at Florida State, like we ended the little reign or dynasty thing they had. But now's our year to get it back on track."

This year, it's all about redemption.

"We all lost as a team," said cornerback Stanford Samuels. "And we healed as a team. And now we're going to dominate as a team.

"The swagger is back. It's back. We've put in the hard work. We've gone through what we had to go through to grow up -- mentally, emotionally, physically -- and it's time to let everybody see it. Florida State's back."

Most, but not all, signs point to yes.

Start on the offensive line, where the third-ranked Seminoles return all five starters from last year, including guard Montrae Holland and Williams, an All-America candidate at tackle from Kissimmee.

The receiving corps benefits from the return of Anquan Boldin and Robert Morgan from serious knee injuries. At tailback, Florida State boasts an embarrassment of riches with 248-pound junior Greg Jones backed up by senior Nick Maddox.

Then, there is Chris Rix, the sophomore quarterback who started all 12 games for the Seminoles last year and ranked eighth nationally in passing efficiency.

"In the end picture, anything less than a national championship here is a failure," Rix said. "With the amount of talent we have out there, it's unbelievable."

But, with the exception of several turnover-laden performances from Rix, offense never was the problem last season. Instead, it was the defense, which had seven new starters.

"That was the biggest drop-off last year that we had," said Coach Bobby Bowden. "Our defense was not as productive as it had been the 14 previous years. You can tell it when you look at the statistics."

The Seminoles finished sixth out of nine in the Atlantic Coast Conference in passing defense and recorded just 15 quarterback sacks, which tied for the lowest total in the conference. Even lowly Duke, which finished 0-11 last season, had 15 sacks.

"That's on everybody's mind," said senior defensive end Alonzo Jackson. "I think about it every time I wake up and every time I go to sleep."

Because of the team's inexperience at cornerback last year -- and some blown assignments by the cornerbacks early in the season -- defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews abandoned the Seminoles' trademark man-to-man, bump-and-run coverage scheme. Instead, Andrews employed a zone defense that relied far less on blitzes.

Andrews now can work with more experienced players. The defense returns eight starters and many others who gained significant experience in 2001.

"This year, we're more experienced, more hungry and we understand where we are and what we have to do," Samuels said. "Florida State football has always been a group of young, wild football players running around hitting just devouring their opponents, and we're going to get back to that. That's been missing a little bit."

So was the attitude.

The death of Devaughn Darling following an off-season workout early in 2001 created an element of mistrust between Seminoles players and coaches, Bowden said. The 72-year-old coach saw that atmosphere carry over into the regular season. He directed his coaches not to "work 'em too hard" in practice.

Those concerns are gone now, according to Bowden and players.

"There's a whole new attitude," Jackson said. "There's a whole new aura about us. Everybody is just ready to get out there and ready to show the world what we have. There's a whole new energy."

Even Bowden has said that he feels better than ever. Diagnosed with Type-II diabetes before last season, he has shed excess weight and even has sworn off chocolate.

Bowden enters the season with 323 career wins. With a win over Iowa State in the Seminoles' season opener, Bowden will pass Paul 'Bear' Bryant and move into second place on the all-time victories list among Division I-A head coaches. Only Penn State's Joe Paterno, who has 327 career wins, ranks ahead of Bowden. By the end of the season, Bowden could surpass Paterno.

The opportunity certainly is there: Florida State scheduled 13 regular-season games, though the lineup of opponents is difficult. The Seminoles face top-ranked Miami at the Orange Bowl on Oct. 12 and sixth-ranked Florida at home on Nov. 30.

"We're going to make somebody pay," Samuels said. "Somebody's going to pay for what we went through last year. We went through it for a whole season, so for a whole season more everyone we're going to face is going to pay."